NASCAR Xfinity Series: Kaz Grala talks upcoming 2019 season debut

Kaz Grala is set to make his 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in this Saturday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. He spoke about this race beforehand.

Kaz Grala is entered for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the My Bariatric Solutions 300, at Texas Motor Speedway this Saturday. The 20-year-old is set to attempt to make his 2019 Xfinity Series debut driving the #21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in this race.

Grala made his NASCAR debut when he competed in the Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway in April 2016. In the 2017 Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway, he earned his first career victory.

Last season, Grala competed part-time in the Xfinity Series driving for JGL Racing and Fury Race Cars. In 22 starts, he earned three top 10 finishes. He finished in a career-high fourth place in the season opener Daytona International Speedway, which was his first career Xfinity Series race.

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Before attempting to make his 2019 Xfinity Series season debut, Grala spoke with me to talk about the My Bariatric Solutions 300, his goals with Richard Childress Racing and why companies should sponsor him in the Xfinity Series.

NOTE: “Q” refers to questions asked by yours truly and “A” refers to Kaz Grala’s answers.

Q: First of all, how many races are you scheduled to drive with Richard Childress Racing this season?

A: All I can say is it’s a limited schedule. Right now, we have a handful of races locked down where I will drive the #21 Chevrolet. Any additional races are dependent on sponsorship. So hopefully we can go out at Texas Motor Speedway, earn a good finish, and gain some more sponsors to compete in more races.

Q: Tell me about your expectations for the My Bariatric Solutions 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.

A: This first race will be a learning curve. I’ll get to know the team and build chemistry with them. Conversely, Richard Childress Racing will learn who I am as a driver. How do I like my race car setup, how do I communicate with the team over the radio, and what are my definitions when describing the car? So the whole weekend will be a learning weekend.

Richard Childress Racing has plenty of speed in its Xfinity Series program. I’ll be teammates with reigning Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick, and Richard Childress Racing is a premier Xfinity Series team. I want to finish in the top 5, which is a reasonable goal. It may be a challenge with Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski entered in the My Bariatric Solutions 300, but it’s not unrealistic.

As I compete in more races with Richard Childress Racing, I want to go for wins. Once we learn about each other, we should contend for wins.

Q: What are your goals in your limited schedule with Richard Childress Racing?

A: My number one goal is to perform in a way to lock down full-time sponsorship for the 2020 Xfinity Series season. We’re going to do so by contending in every race we compete at. I want to show potential sponsors that Richard Childress Racing has championship-caliber equipment. I want to showcase the talent of the #21 team.

Personally, I know I can race up front with the Xfinity Series regulars. Tyler Reddick is a serious championship contender this season. Even though I have not yet raced with Richard Childress Racing, I feel like I am a better driver just using their resources and being in one of their cars.

Q: Ryan Preece sort of set the precedent of racing part-time for a powerhouse team and thereby earning a top ride. We’ve seen other drivers like Ross Chastain and Jeffrey Earnhardt take similar approaches. Are you trying to follow in their footsteps?

A: Yeah well everybody saw what Ross Chastain could do in top-notch equipment. He won a race, and that’s my goal with Richard Childress Racing. Ryan Preece started that trend, and he parlayed that approach into his current Cup Series ride with JTG Daugherty Racing. Ultimately, what I seek is a full-time Xfinity Series ride. Ideally, I’d like to drive the #21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet full-time.

Richard Childress Racing is a great organization. They have such a storied NASCAR career. They have top-notch equipment and they bring contending cars to the track for every Xfinity Series race. While my goal is to eventually make it to the Cup Series full-time someday, I realize that dream won’t happen immediately, which makes finding sponsorship for us to run more races this season and compete full-time next year even more important.

Q: So why should a company sponsor you?

A: That answer varies depending on the type of company which is interested in sponsoring me. Last year with JGL Racing and Fury Race Cars, I handled the majority of sponsorship for my races. Now, I reach out to sponsors which use my background. I’m from the Boston area, so I first try to reach out to companies based in Boston and the New England area. I think that’s a market which is underutilized in NASCAR sponsorship.

I graduated high school with a perfect Math SAT score. So I can communicate well with tech companies.

I’m glad I joined Richard Childress Racing because they know how to find sponsors. There was a Forbes article which examined how well NASCAR teams find sponsors, especially with B2B deals (business to business). The top team was Richard Childress Racing. That article provided me with confidence that we can find sponsorship to go racing full-time next year.

It’s a neat aspect of racing with Richard Childress Racing. There is a better shot of finding sponsors with them. I’m glad I joined the team, I hope we can impress people and prospective sponsors, and hopefully this partnership with Richard Childress Racing has me racing with them into the long-term future.

Now, having talked about the need for sponsors, I want to thank my sponsor for this upcoming race. My sponsor is HotScream.

Here is more information about HotScream, according to a Richard Childress Racing press release.

"“HotScream takes two concepts, dessert and spicy food, and combines them to form a product that can only be described as ‘HotScream The Spicy Ice Cream’. By taking ice cream with its cool creaminess and incorporating a spicy swirl, HotScream has created a new taste sensation, one that almost defies one’s own senses.“At first, you taste the pureness of the vanilla, followed quickly by the sweetness of one of seven flavor swirls. As you continue to enjoy HotScream, things change: You feel a warming sensation that starts in the back of your mouth, creating a rush that only can come from spicy foods. The warming continues to linger but doesn’t engulf your mouth with fire. Taking another bite, you again taste the cool, creamy vanilla and the respective flavor profile while the heat dissipates, only to come back time and time again.“HotScream will be available in Walmart stores from Maine to Texas, ACME Food stores, Big Y, select ShopRites and Stop & Shop in April. HotScream now comes in seven flavors: Strawberry Swirl, Chocolate Swirl, Ginger Swirl, Espresso Swirl, Salted Caramel Swirl, Black Raspberry Swirl and Peach Swirl.”"

Here is what Grala’s HotScream-sponsored #21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet will look like in the My Bariatric Solutions 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.

http://twitter.com/RCRracing/status/1110525491222626305

The NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 30. This race, the My Bariatric Solutions 300, is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. ET, and it is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1.